In general, the definition of an adverb is this: a word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a sentence.

Adverbs are often used to show time, place or manner.

They are also used as discourse markers – words that organize a conversation. These words show transitions, agreements, disagreements, and so on.

Discourse markers

A common discourse marker in American English is (you guessed it) okay.

As a discourse marker, it has a few common uses.

1. Acknowledge what another person says

The first use is to acknowledge what another person says.

So, for example, consider this situation. Two friends are ordering dinner at a restaurant. Their conversation goes like this:

A: Should we order the salad?

B: Yeah!

A: Okay!

In this example, one speaker uses okay to show that she acknowledges what the other speaker says. She also uses okay to show agreement.

However, Americans often use okay even when they do not necessarily agree with each other. Consider the same situation at a restaurant.

A: Should we order the salad?

B: No, it does not look very good.

A: Okay, but I would like to eat some kind of vegetable.

Once again, okay serves the purpose of acknowledging what another person says. The speakers may disagree about what to eat, but one speaker is using okay to show that she understands what the other speaker is saying.

In that sense, okay helps organize a conversation.

2. Show the end of a conversation (or topic of conversation)

A second common use of okay is to show a transition to the end of a conversation. It can also be used to show the end of a topic in a conversation.

Here is an example. Imagine you are at a car rental business. The employee has just explained to the customer how to return the car:

Employee: Okay, so you understand how to return the car?

Customer: Yeah, I understand.

Employee: Okay, I'll see you in a few days!

The employee uses the word okay twice. In both cases, the employee uses it to show that the conversation will soon be ending. This use of okay helps make it clear to both speakers that the conversation is coming to a close.

In this way, neither speaker is surprised when the conversation does end!

What about the film?

Now that you have learned about the different meanings of okay, think back to the ending of the film "Before Sunrise."

You heard the speakers use okay several times in the goodbye scene. How were they using the word okay? Did they use it as a noun, adjective, verb, or adverb?